Last Chance
by Sany13
Summary: Booth finds Brennan after she spends a week in captivity. But the question remains, is he is too late? Warning Very Angsty. Chapter 4 finally here. R
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Okay so this idea came to me while I was listening to music and the song "I Will Love You" by Fisher came on. Umm just a little warning you may want to get some tissues since this will be a bit emotional

And just another little warning it hints at a possible, possible character death. Okay that said I feel safe in posting now.

Disclaimer: Nope not mine it's just a dream.

* * *

Last Chance 

He watched as they pulled her lifeless body out of the dark, dreary hole that had been her cell for the last week. Her clothes were soaked and clung to her from the water that had collected at the bottom from the rain that had fallen that day. He had spent the last four days trying not to strangle the man that sat across from him in the interrogation room. They had caught him when he was on an errand and since then he had been steadily taunting the agent over the loss of his partner. The loss he had caused.

One week ago to the day he had taken her while she was on her way to meet Booth at the dinner to talk about her current stalker problem. She hadn't taken it as seriously as Booth had wanted her to and she had agreed to have lunch with him to discuss the issue. Normally he would have picked her up but had a last minute meeting with Cullen so he agreed, reluctantly, to meet her there. After twenty minutes he started to worry about what was taking her so long. Dialling her cell he heard someone pick up followed by a pained moan before it cut off again.

Fear setting in he dialled the first person he could of think of, which turned out to be Angela. After being told that Brennan had left over half an hour earlier he told her to get the security cameras and that he would be there in five minutes to go over them. It didn't take long to see what had happened. The tape from the garage showed Brennan being attacked from behind. After he had knocked her down the guy had stuffed her into the trunk of his car.

It only took three days to find the guy but he refused to tell them where he was keeping Brennan, the most he would say was that 'she was in a safe place'. So for the last four days Booth had been trying his hardest not to strangle his only lead to finding his partner… alive he hoped.

Finally after everything he had given them a location as to where they could find her and now Booth was watching as the paramedics worked frantically to get his partner breathing again. He watched his fists balling up with the urge to hit something or better yet, someone. He wanted to shove them away from her, bend down and bring her back to life. He wanted to see her blue eyes stare into his questioningly like they had done so many other times before.

Right now the only thing he could see was her pale skin and the blue tinted on her normally rosy lips. He watched, pain squeezing his chest tighter and tighter until they closed the doors on the ambulance rushing her to the hospital. He raced to his car and an awaiting Angela to follow the white bus to the nearest hospital, his lights flashing to match the ambulance in front of him.

Rushing into the hospital, they were ushered into a waiting room where a small man in a white coat met them briefly before leaving to tend to his patient. The sad look on his face was enough to tell them what they didn't need or didn't want to hear. Booth started to pace back and forth the floor in anger at what had happened. He didn't believe that it could have ended like this. That he wasn't able to save her. He always saved her, that's what he did. He saved her from psychos, from her family, and from herself when he had too.

Angela came up behind him quietly resting a hand on his shoulder. "She's gone Booth," she whispered tears streaming down her face as she squeezed his shoulder comfortingly.

"NO! She can't be gone," he said forcefully pulling away from her. Once he had turned around to face her and saw his own emotions reflected there in her brown eyes his anger left and all he was left with was pain.

"She can't be gone Angela… she just can't be. I-I-I don't know what I'll do without her. I never… I never…" he trailed off. The emotion he was showing was breaking Angela's already broken heart. It wasn't fair that it ended this way after everything they had been through.

"I never got to tell her how I feel. I never got to tell her how much she meant to me. How much I loved her. Why did it have to be her? Why couldn't it have been me instead? She's already been through so much why did she have to go through this too? Why did she have to die?" He asked of no one. With each question he asked Angela felt more tears slide down her cheeks adding more tracks to her already mascara streaked cheeks. The last thing he uttered she would have never expected to hear come out of his mouth.

"Maybe she was right. Maybe there is no God," he said forlornly before sitting down in the plastic hospital chair.

Putting his face in his hands his shoulders began to shake with the silent sobs that were coming from deep down inside him. Angela moved to sit in the chair next to him, resting her hand on his back soothingly. Lifting his head he looked at her, his eyes red and tears leaked out from the corners. Then he said something that truly made her want to break down and cry until she could cry no more, not for the dead woman she regarded as a sister but for the man who looked like he had lost everything. In a way she guessed, he had.

"Angela, make her come back. Please make her come back," he begged knowing it was futile but still having to try anyway.

"Booth, if I could I would, but as much as I want to I can't," she whispered for fear that she would actually break down that moment when he needed her more then ever.

"I know," he replied hopelessly.

* * *

_Okay I will say I have an alternate ending that I have been toying with to change into another chapter to possibly continue this if you want it. _

_Reviews are appreciated._


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys. Haha funny story, I had this wrote a while ago and ummm yeah I just forgot to post it. blushes slightly in embarrassment Sorry. So that's all from me, here's the next little bit. And for anyone reading anything else I'm writing well hopefully after the next three weeks are done and over with I'll be writing more, since I'll have more free time.

Disclaimer: Nope not mine.

* * *

Chapter 2

Staring quietly at the floor, lost in thoughts and memories of the last few years, Booth didn't hear the doctor coming into the waiting room. He still hadn't notice the man until he stopped right in front of him waiting for Booth to look up at him.

"Mr. Booth," he said solemnly. "I'm Dr. Wheldon; I assessed your partner when she came in. As you probably already know she wasn't breathing when the paramedics brought her out of the hole she was in."

Booth's heart ached a little more at the doctor's words. He didn't need this man telling him all the details as to how exactly his partner died. It didn't matter now. The only thing that mattered was that he was no longer going to see her, no longer would he argue with her for the fun of it, and he would definitely never again be able to watch her without her knowing it.

"Normally when a patient is brought in like this it is almost certain that they will die. But there have been known cases that involve severe hypothermia, where the patients low body temperature prevents some of the damage that would normally happen to the body after such an extended period of time. In these rare cases we are able to resuscitate the patient after a much longer time than would be considered normal. Once that is done it is just a matter of treating them for the hypothermia and watching them for arrhythmia. It's because of this rare occurrence that we were able to bring your partner back," he finished smiling as he stared at the two, still sitting stunned in their chairs.

"You mean she's… she's alive? Bones is alive?" Booth asked in a stunned disbelief, hoping that what the doctor had said was real and not a delusion of his bereaved mind.

"Yes. Miss Brennan was resuscitated a short time ago. We had more time to save her due to the hypothermia. Now that we have brought her back we will have to monitor her carefully for arrhythmia, as I mentioned before, and slowly warm her body up. We have to take special care with her right now because any small thing could cause her heart to stop again and we may not be able to get it to start a second time. Right now we have an IV connected to her administering warm fluids to help raise her body temperature. But this is also why we have to watch her carefully for any sign that her heart is beating irregularly. Once I am satisfied that she is no longer in the danger zone we will then begin treatment on her other injuries which are minor."

Booth turned to look at Angela, who had the biggest smile on her face that Booth had ever seen. Slowly his lips curved upwards to match her grin with one of his own before he burst out laughing in joy. She was alive. He hadn't lost her. Soon after he began his laughing fit Angela joined in, periodically reaching a hand up to wipe away the tears that were still sliding down her face.

"She's okay Angela. Bones is going to be okay," Booth said a sense of wonderment in his voice.

"I know Booth, I know," she said thankfully.

"Can we see her?" he finally asked hopefully.

The doctor hesitated slightly before answering them. "She is still unconscious and it may be awhile before she wakes up. But I can allow one of you to go in for a little while. She's still very weak and it is going to take a while before she is back to her normal strength. What she has gone through would make the strongest man as weak as a kitten," he clarified for them. "Just remember that whoever goes in to see her you have to be extremely careful, the slightest thing could cause her body more damage."

"Go Booth," Angela urged. "She'd want to see you if she woke up. Go." She waited for him to get to the door before she added "Booth don't waste anymore time. Tell her how you feel. This time she came to close, we came too close…" she trailed off unable to say it now that she knew it wasn't true.

He nodded at her before following the doctor to go see his Bones. He knew he wouldn't really believe she was okay until he saw her himself.

Rounding a number of corners and going through so many doors that Booth thought he would become lost, the doctor finally stopped in front of a room. Gesturing towards the door he urged Booth to go in. Taking another deep breath Booth opened the door and let it swing in. The sight before him made his chest constrict before he remembered that only moments ago he had thought she was dead.

Brennan was lying in the small bed, an IV connected to her right hand, blankets were wrapped around her and she was wearing one of those flimsy hospital gowns. Walking closer to her Booth could notice that her lips and skin still had a blue tint to them, but he assumed that was normal giving her body temperature when they had pulled her from that hole. He could see a few bruises on her but nothing more serious than that. He began to wonder what other injuries she had, considering the doctor had said that they had to wait for her hypothermia to be stabilized before they could do anything.

Walking over to the bed he stood next to her, afraid to touch her for fear of hurting her, or making it worse as the doctor had told him could happen. Staring down at her he could feel his eyes begin to water again at just how close he came to losing her. He thought he had lost her, but now here she was in front of him… alive. He reached up to wipe away the tears before sitting down in the small chair next to the bed.

Booth sat there motionless just staring at the woman in the bed. He was trying to find some way to put into words what he was feeling. He knew she was unconscious but he had to tell her. He couldn't go another day after this last week without telling her the truth. Still unsure as to what to say he tentatively reached out for her hand. The coldness of it shocked him; he was expecting her to have warmed up more then that by now.

Gently he covered her small cold hand with is own. He thought that by her simple touch the words he was searching for would come to his mind, they never. He was feeling so much that he wasn't sure how to express it. Booth wanted to tell her everything, but he was at a loss as to how to start.

Just when he was ready to try something Dr. Wheldon came into the room.

"Mr. Booth, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to ask you to leave now."

Getting up reluctantly, Booth smiled down at his partner before he left. He had one more place to visit in the hospital before he returned to the waiting room and Angela.

* * *

_Reviews are appreciated!_


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks to all those that reviewed or put this on alert, love seeing those little emails. It's so sad how little it takes to make me happy lol. Anyway probably only one, or possibly two chapters after this one. Here's the third part enjoy!

Disclaimer: If only delusions were real then they would be mine. But since they aren't guess they're not either lol.

* * *

Chapter 3

Pulling open the door, Booth walked into the quiet sanctuary. The noise outside of the frantic woman, whose husband had just had a heart attack, and the doctors and nurses yelling out orders to each other, cut off as the door clicked shut behind him. He stared at the small podium in the back of the room before walking towards it.

Stopping he looked to his right before moving to sit on the small bench there. He leaned back against the wooden seat, staring once again at the cross that was hanging on the wall in front of him; just behind the podium that was serving as a small alter. As he sat there, motionless, his mind once again raced through all the times he could have lost her.

The first time had been when the leader of mara muerte had put out a hit on her. He hadn't really realised the extent of what he was feeling for her. He just knew that he had to stop it from happening. It was more then the simple urge to protect his partner. He had to make sure his message was clear, that she was not to be harmed in anyway. The only way he could think to do that was to shove his gun into the man's mouth resisting the urge to pull the trigger.

On that occasion the situation had been dealt with relatively easily. To this day she still had no idea what had happened, how close she had come to having every hit man in the gang after her. She would have been just another target to them. Easy money if the right person was doing the job.

Shaking of that memory, his mind moved onto the next horrifying experience, the one where he had unwittingly handed her over to the very killer they had been searching for. During that whole case Booth had been constantly looking over his shoulder for any sign of the person who was trying to kill his partner and friend. Seconds before he had hit the ground after the explosion in her kitchen he had one brief thought, "Thank God it's not her".

However later when he was talking with Hodgins and all the pieces of the puzzle began to fit together his heart had jumped into his throat. It was then that he knew his feelings for her went beyond that of a friend and partner. He no longer saw her as the annoying squint that had blackmailed her way into becoming his partner, nor the friend she had become since then. It was then that she started to become the woman he compared all other women too.

When he had found her tied, gagged, and hung up on that hook he was afraid that he might say something that neither of them was ready for. So even though he was feeling as if he had almost lost the best thing that could have happened to him since his son, and he felt like telling her everything, he instead made an attempt at a lame joke to break some of the tension. It also allowed him to take the time he needed to put his emotions back in check.

The third time he had come close to losing her, he had literally lost it. It was a constant struggle not to just pull out his gun and shoot someone, or punch anyone that said the wrong thing. He had never been so panicked in his life until he had received that phone call, he felt his face drop as his chest constricted and his heart seemed to have stopped. When that voice on the other end told him that he had 12 hours to get a ransom together before his partner, the woman he cared more deeply for then he would ever admit to, he vowed then and there that he would find her no matter what he had to do. He didn't care if he lost his job or not, his job wasn't worth losing her.

As he had watched those seconds tick down to zero on that clock his panic grew, turning into to anger at the fact that he still hadn't found her. Staring at that message she had sent him, mocking him as if to say he was so close but not close enough. He had almost punched Zach for saying that they were too late, but he had instead smacked the monitor on the side of him, demanding that they figure out some way to find her, so he could save her. That was what he did. He saved her when she was in trouble and he just couldn't go on not finding her.

He had never been more grateful before in his life then when Zack had said he knew where she was. When they had come to a stop in that mine and he had seen just how big an area it was to search, he prayed for some sign that would show him where he could find her. Seeing that puff of dirt come out of no where he new his prayers had been answered. Then as he pulled her out of the ground, his arms around her smaller body, and hearing her mumble something about Hodgins, he could have cried out of sheer joy that she was alive. He couldn't help the grin that had spread over his face when she looked at him, he had never been as happy as he was that moment. He vowed then that he would tell her the truth later about how he felt.

His fear of complicating things, or losing her friendship had somehow stopped him. No matter how much he wanted too he still wasn't ready to cross that line. This last incident though… There was no way he couldn't not tell her how he really felt now. This last week his emotions had been on such a rollercoaster that he no longer feared what would actually happen if he told her. Watching them pull her from that well no longer breathing, lips blue, her body lifeless, he could no longer deny it.

The whole week before they had found her had been hell for him, for them all really. He had stared in the mirror everyday, hating himself a little more each time, because he hadn't yet found her. Once they had finally found her stalker, he had to struggle not to snap the man's neck on the sheer fact that he had taken her away from him. The only reason he hadn't was that if he had he wouldn't find her fast enough. He spent days praying that the little bastard would give him something anything. When he had finally given up where she was, Booth felt his heart sinking lower and lower at the realisation that she wasn't breathing.

After when he had been in that waiting room he had felt like all hope was lost. That he had lost her forever, never having told her that he loved her. Never getting the chance to watch her eyes sparkle when she discovered what they needed to close a case, the questioning look that crossed her face when she didn't understand something. But most of all he was simply going to miss the way she looked at him, or smiled at him.

He had thought he'd lost it all, until that doctor came in and told him that they had brought her back. He knew there had been an explanation as to how they had done it, but all he heard was that she was back, that he had another chance, one last chance to tell her everything.

Staring at the back wall, a small smile crossed his lips as he came back to the present, and the reality of what he was about to do sunk in. He looked to the cross attached there, his hands clasped in his lap; two words fell from his lips, "Thank You."

* * *

_Okay I know it's been a while but things are finally calming down on my end so I should be updating everything a little more frequently._

_Reviews are appreciated:)_


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: First of all thanks to all those that reviewed, put this on faves or story alert I really appreciate it. I'm sooo sorry for taking so long with the update but I've been massively busy with everything. But now that stuff has calmed down I've finally been able to get back into writing. Thanks two puppet and loony for helping me out with this one. And I'll just shut up now I've made you wait long enough. lol.

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

* * *

Chapter 4

Cold. That's all she felt. The frigid feeling had crept into her very bones, making her shiver from the inside, causing her teeth to rattle noisily. She had never been so cold before in her life. She remembered her feet becoming numb first, then her fingers losing all feeling, as she tried time and time again to find some way out of that hole. But the colder she felt, the sleepier she got. Of course she knew that this was a not a good sign. She knew that if she didn't find a way out of that mouldy, wet hole soon, she would give into that ever present urge to just close her eyes and fall asleep.

Every second that ticked by was one more second that she hadn't given into that urge, it was one small battle that she had won, even if the war was far from over. Then, finally, the constant battle had become too much. Even as her mind screamed at her to fight it, not to give into the seduction, her body had already made the choice for her. Her upper eyelids had ever so lightly begun their descent to meet the lower ones. Her already shallow breaths became few and far between. Oddly enough she no longer felt that crushing cold settling down on her. Almost as if she really was just falling asleep, if only she was in her bed that is, instead of a dark, dank, hole in the ground. Her chest rose, fell, rose and fell. Then… nothing. Her mind was no longer screaming at her to keep her eyes open, it, along with the rest of her body, had finally given into the alluring seduction that sleep promised.

Brennan could feel herself coming out of the haze that she had been in for who knows how long. The first thing she felt was the warm tingling sensation in her right hand. The next thing she noticed was a steady beeping sound and an underlying hum of something vaguely familiar. It wasn't until the smell hit her that she finally realized where exactly she was and what had happened to her in the last… what was it, a week now? More? Less?

The last thing she remembered was feeling unbearably cold. So cold that she literally couldn't stop shaking, and then she had felt so tired that, after what seemed like hours fighting it, she gave into the urge to close her eyes. The fact that she was now lying in the hospital bed proved yet again that he had saved her. That he would always find a way to save her, no matter what the odds against it were.

At that last thought she heard the click of the hospital door opening, followed by the squeak of the door hinges and another soft click as it closed once again. She didn't need to be able to see who had come through the door; she had no doubt that it was Booth. Her suspicions were confirmed when she felt his hand gently lift hers so that he was holding it between his, she felt an instant comfort from the gesture. She briefly wondered if she should try and open her eyes, or do something to let him know that she was awake, but for some unknown reason she felt that he had something important to tell her, that he wouldn't say it if he knew she was awake. So for once, she followed that little voice inside her head that sounded eerily like the man holding her hand.

"Hey Bones," he started in his softest voice. She could hear the worry in his words as he spoke to her. "I know I'm not supposed to be here but I had to make sure you were okay."

His concern for her never ceased to amaze her, or the fact that it always seemed to make her feel a warmth and comfort around him.

"I also had to tell you I'm sorry," his voice sounded pained when he spoke.

Sorry? Why would he be sorry? He had saved her life yet again. Unless…. Before she had even had the time to panic over what her mind could conjure up, she could feel his thumb running circles on the back of her hand, instantly calming her. It was almost as if he anticipated her reaction, before she had even had it.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to stop this from happening to you. I'm sorry that I didn't insist on picking you up instead of agreeing to meet you. I should have picked you up. He never would have been able to kidnap you had I been there," he paused taking in a deep breath.

She could hear the anger in his voice, anger at himself for not being able to protect her when she needed him to. His voice, once again, interrupted any further thought she might have had.

"Then, when we finally were able to find you, you weren't breathing and your skin was so blue… I thought I had lost you. I lost you and I never had a chance to tell you how I really felt about you," he said reflectively.

Her pulse started to beat a little faster at his words. He couldn't possibly mean what she thought he did. Her mind was still undergoing the affects from her near death experience. Right? They were just partners, close friends. At least that was the unspoken agreement between them. The lie each of them told themselves everyday, so they wouldn't have to deal with their true feelings, at least not until they were both ready for it. He couldn't be taking that security away from her, not now. Could he?

"In those ninety minutes when we thought you had died, and I thought you weren't coming back, those minutes showed me just how wrong I'd been, how stupid both of us have been. Then when that doctor came in and said they had managed to bring you back, I'd never been that relieved in my entire life."

Her heart rate continued to increase, as he moved into territory that they had both been skilfully ignoring for the past few years, the monitor beeped faster, causing Booth to become alarmed. Brennan, despite her rising panic, still had her eyes closed, so Booth had no idea that she was actually awake and reacting to his words.

"Bones! Don't you dare die on me," in a panic, he jumped to his feet in a rush to get the doctor, having remembered what he had said about how dangerous it could be for her to have an irregular rhythm. The only thing that stopped him from actually leaving the room was the tight grip that Brennan had on his hand, as panicked as she was; she knew she didn't want him to leave her anytime soon.

He turned back to stare down into the now open eyes of his partner. Her eyes weren't their usual vivid colour, but just seeing the pale blue shade was enough to stop Booth's breath, and all thoughts of running off to get the doctor.

"I'm fine," her voice was weak and scratchy, but the fact that she spoke at all, showed him that she didn't want him to leave her just yet.

"You're awake," he said, a goofy grin spreading across his face. He was so happy to see her awake that he would have kissed her if he wasn't so afraid of causing her heart rate to shoot up into the danger zone the doctor had mentioned earlier.

Despite the fact that Booth hadn't ran off to get the doctor the moment Brennan's heart rate had increased, the heart monitor had already alerted them to the spike. He was still grinning, even as the doctors and nurses rushed in to check on their patient, who had been so close to death only hours ago. One nurse checked her IV, while another was looking over the monitor, trying to determine if it was a malfunction with the machine or something more serious. While the nurses did that, Dr. Wheldon had his stethoscope to Brennan's chest listening for the irregularity the monitor was pointing out. While all this was happening her blue eyed gaze never left his.

Satisfied that there was nothing seriously wrong with his patient, Dr. Wheldon turned his focus onto the man that wasn't supposed to be in the room in the first place.

"Agent Booth, I told you that you had to leave some time ago. What are you still doing here? You know how dangerous it is for her pulse to speed up at this point in time. I told you before that you were not to come back until morning," the doctor was talking to him as if he were a five year old in need of a lecture. If it weren't for the fact that he was just so happy to see Brennan alive and awake he may have taken offence to how the doctor was talking to him.

Before Booth had a chance to defend himself or his actions to the extremely irritated doctor, the man had once again launched into a lecture.

"Now I'm going to escort you out, this time to be sure that you do in fact leave. Dr. Brennan needs to be resting and in a stable condition in order for her to recover. I can't have you in here reeking havoc on her pulse rate," he said.

"No," a weak, but adamant, voice spoke up from behind the doctor. "I want him to stay," she finished.

Dr. Wheldon turned around to face the woman lying in the hospital bed. "Dr. Brennan I do not think it is a good idea for your 'partner' to remain here if he is causing your heart rate to be so erratic. It's dangerous to your well being," the man begged her; concerned that Booth's presence would eventually cause her to go into cardiac arrest.

"Bones maybe he's right. Maybe I…" Booth started until Brennan's hoarse whisper cut him off.

"No, I'll be fine. I just feel… safe, when he's here," she said, eyes pleading with the doctor to let Booth stay.

"Fine he can stay. But the moment, and I mean the very second, your heart rate increases again he is going to have to leave." He looked towards Booth before making his last statement. "Do I make myself clear?"

Booth could only give a nod as the man walked out the door, not waiting for an answer from either Booth or Brennan. Booth continued to stare at the door until Brennan's voice made him turn back around to look at her fragile form.

"Booth about…" she got no farther, as he placed his fingers over her lips.

"Bones the doctor is right. We can't risk your pulse increasing anymore then it has, and talking about this will definitely not be calming for you." He removed his hand and sat back in the chair that he had occupied earlier that evening. "Now how about I just sit here and you can bore me to sleep with your constant yammering?" he asked, a cheeky smile spreading across his face.

* * *

_Reviews are appreciated._


End file.
